"Would you like a hot hors d'oeuvre?" Rain picks one up to feed to Ben.

"Yes, please," he takes the whole thing from Rain's hand into his mouth and Rain smiles slightly "Mmm!" he closes his eyes to appreciate the taste "This is the best thing I've ever had,"

"So, you like it?" Rain's smile drops for a bit. She just wanted Ben to like the meal, she just wanted to keep him happy. She was also checking whether the cooking spell worked properly.

"I more than like it. I..." Ben reaches to grab one of the foods laid out and Rain breathes in his signature scent. She could never identify the mix of Auradon products, but the blend of them was still his scent "uh... mmm-- so like it," Rain laughs in relief "Beef ragout?"

"Yeah,"

"This is amazing. Not even a strawberry in sight!" Rolling her eyes, Rain tries to contain another smile, but feels her lips turn upward anyway.

"Did I surprise you?" Rain didn't know why she needed so much validation, she thought maybe it might be because of the press constantly talking about her and Ben's relationship.

"Oh, yeah, you surprised me. This is every single dish Mrs. Potts made for my parents," he continues eating through his sentences "What did it take you? Three days?"

"You know, don't even ask me," Rain laughs, thinking about how it barely took her 5 minutes.

"Yeah," Ben changes his position so he's leaning on the table, looking into Rain's eyes." Well, it means a lot that you stopped and did all this for me. Especially with all the craziness you've been put through," he takes her hand in his and Rain starts to feel guilty. Maybe Evie was right, people shouldn't lie in a relationship.

"I've missed you," Ben admits and Rain smiles and can't help the blush that comes to her cheeks. Ben moves his hand to play with the red part of Rain's hair, then he cups her chin "We don't get much time to be just us anymore,"

"I know," If Rain was alone with Ben, not out in the open, she was sure she would be crying. Rain moves her hand to wipe some food off Ben's lips.

"You can't take me anywhere, right?" Rain raises her eyebrow but can't help the laugh that bubbles up at the reference to their first date. It reminded her of simpler times, when the press wasn't all over her and Ben like flies to an apple. When they could be themselves and enjoy each other's company freely.

"Do you have a," Ben licks his lips "Do you have a napkin or something?"

"I think so, let me check," Rain goes to get them from the basket, making sure Ben didn't have the chance to find her spell book. "I think they're near the bottom..." Rain is clearly panicking as Ben also looks "I can grab them, honestly," It's too late, Ben's pulled out his girlfriend's spell book.

"What's this?" he asks and Rain stops in her tracks. She wonders if she can lie her way out. No, no she couldn't with the way he was looking at her.

"I - I actually threw it in there so I'd remember to take it to the museum -" she tries to lie as her panic takes over and the leather book opens with a creak.

"'Speed reading' spell," Ben reads as he starts flicking through the pages where post-it notes are stuck with extra spells, plus Rain's versions of the already written spells.

"'Reverse time' spell. 'Cooking' spell," Rain can't keep eye contact, she stares at the table in front of her. She wasn't sure what to do, what the appropriate response was.

Ben slams the book shut and Rain jumps "And I was giving you props for fitting in so well, for doing your best," Rain feels sick listening to the tone in Ben's voice, he was angry, really angry

"I -" Rain can't respond properly,

"Are you even going to say anything?! Ben asks and Rain takes a deep breath. With no response, Ben stands with a sharp kick to the table "Why would you - Why would you do this? Why would you lie?"

"Ben, it has been so hard for me," Rain admits quietly, looking up at her boyfriend. This was their first big fight, and Rain was unsure on how to react.

"Yes! Some things are hard! Do you think learning to be king has been easy for me?"

"No! Of course not!" Rain stands, not responding to the raise in voice well. She knew how hard he was working.

"I thought we were doing this together!"

"Ben, we are in this together" Rain reaches out to him

"But we're not, Rain. We're not." He keeps stuttering during his rapid hand movements "You've been keeping secrets and lying to me. I thought we were done with that," Rain tries to protest but he just keeps going "This isn't the Isle of the Lost, Rain," Rain's gaze hardens, she could barely believe he'd said that. Time seems to freeze, and when Ben turns around, she unfreezes.

"Yeah. Believe me Ben, I know that!" She turns around, placing her hands on the banister as she takes deep breaths "There's no need to be cruel..."

"Then why are you doing this?" Rain knows he can tell the comment got to me; his voice softens slightly.

"I tried to tell you Ben!" Rain turns "But...Every time I tried you would look at me like you are now...I didn't want to let you down; I didn't want to let anyone down..."

"I-" Ben tries to interrupt, but it's Rain's turn to talk

"Because..." Rain struggles to get the words out "Everyone wants me to fit in. I've tried to bring it up, but I just get ignored every time! People just want me to be perfect, to blend in and be a 'prissy pink princess'," Rain puts her hands up and uses quotations for a reference only she or the VK's would know

"And I'm not okay? I'm not one of those pretty pink princesses, Ben. I'm not one of those ladies from the Court. I'm a big fake!" Rain tries to quieten her voice.

"I'm fake! This is fake!" she gestures to the meal laid out "This is fake," Rain presents her outfit "I don't even really like the colour purple! I don't even like how I look anymore!" Rain leans over the table to take her spell book back, she flips through it, opening it to the right page.

"' Take this feast, this sumptuous meal, return it back to what is real'," with a click of her fingers, burgundy sparkles and smoke clear up the food, leaving only a glass of water and a sandwich from earlier when Rain attempted to not use magic "This is who I really am. It's a surprisingly accurate metaphor!" Rain slams her book shut and her feet start moving in the direction of the school before she even notices.

"Rain..." Ben tries to stop her with his arm

"No! No," she pushes past him "don't touch me!"

"Peanut butter and jelly is my favourite!" Rain drowns his voice out by clashing her boots against the wood with more determination.

----------&----------

Storming into her dorm, Rain viciously undoes the plait at the back of her now windswept hair. She had practically ran back. Locking the door, she throws off her jacket and chucks her shoes into the corner. Not even taking time to catch her breath, Rain realises that tears are still streaming down her face.

Flinging the doors to her wardrobe open, she reaches into what she thought was a pastel hell, the item she needed flies into her hands. Rain cast a spell months ago so whichever item she wanted appeared when she wanted it. Rain rushes around the room, grabbing everything she needed, throwing essentially into a red leather backpack. It wasn't exactly her style, but Evie made it from fabric left over, and since she doesn't use backpacks, she gave it to Rain for one of the many Auradon celebrations. Finally moving onto removing her dress, screams mix with her tears when the zip won't go down. Lace ripping soon joins her sobbing.

----------&----------

Rain turns to herself in the mirror. Her hair is the only foreign thing still on her. One of her old leather jackets is on, and the other clothes are ones made by Evie from back on the Isle. Her boots have paint splattered on them and the choker she once stole from her mother is on her neck. Yet she couldn't bring herself to remove the necklace Ben brought her so instead she tucks it under her shirt. Rain Gertrude Gothel was back - an unfortunate middle name still. Grabbing the keys to her bike, Ben locks the door to her room, she hoped it was the last time.

Rain opens Evie and Mal's dorm and thanks Hades neither of them were there, she didn't have the energy to deal with them. Ben's words are still fresh in my mind as she picks up one of Evie's notepads and writes a message.

Ben...

I'm so sorry. I've gone back to the Isle. Don't come here for me. You're better off without me. I'm a mess. I can't be a lady of the court, or even a princess. I'm sorry I put you through so much. Don't miss me. Trust me, you don't need me. I'm just a big let-down. And I always will be.

Rain Gothel

The tears are back, and Rain's surname's ink is smudged from the slaty tears that dropped. Looking down at the beast ring on her right hand, Rain takes it off. Her boots clonk on the floor and Maleficent hisses in the corner.

"Shut up," Rain snaps before taking one last look at herself in Evie's mirror. Her eyes are red and bloodshot, and definitely looks like she's been crying.

"Let's blow this popsicle stand,".

----------&----------

"Come one, why isn't this thing organised," Rain's still crying as she yet again rapidly flicks through her spell book. Get over yourself. The right spell soon appears, scribbled in one of the blank pages.

"'Noble steed, proud and fair, you shall take me anywhere'," Rain puts the book back and starts up the engine of the bike Ben had given her hours earlier. The prospect of falling into the ocean and drowning didn't sound too fun to the girl. "Please work," she looks up at the sky.

And then she's off. Rain closes her eyes, and doesn't feel herself fall into the ocean so opens them again, laughing as she realises, she wasn't drowning or being eaten by sharks.

As long as Rain didn't look down, she was fine. Trying to focus on the Isle, a familiar smirk takes its proud place upon her face.

----------&----------

As the bike's engine roars, people run and scream. Rain stops at a poster of her and Ben, he has an eyepatch on, and Rain's face is crossed off with the words 'good girl'. Rain rips it off the wall and crumbles it in her hands. It seems Uma and her little 'pirate crew' are bitter.

Parking the Bike, rain walks around to the Hideout entrance. Grabbing a rock, Rain smirks as she throws it at a 'danger; flying rocks' sign. She laughs a little at it before smirking as she walks up the steps.

Edited: February 2021